Although there had been rain, this was a tough game on hard ground.
Early exchanges showed that while Witham had the edge in scrums, Clacton had some dangerous runners. Cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd, Witham took an early lead as Liesze scored the first of her 7 tries. From full back, she was finding the space to run and weaved through defenders in spite of carrying a leg injury.
The game was disrupted when Leanne was injured. Making one of her trademark bursts through the defence, she was halted by a strong tackle. Unfortunately, she landed badly and needed lengthy treatment. We all wish her well in her recovery.
Clacton stayed within touching distance with a half time score of 22-14.
In the second half, the Witham forwards were providing plenty of ammunition for the backs to try some moves, ultimately releasing Liesze to continue her scoring. However, tge forwards did make sure they had a try of their own as Steph drove over after a period of sustained pressure. Clacton were always a threat and Witham's back of the match, Larissa, not only managed to contain their number 8 who kept running at her but also gathered 4 interceptions that not only broke up Clacton attacks but also led to a couple of tries. The last play saw a new move at the lineout provide the ball for Sophie to sidestep through for her first Witham try.
Special mention goes to Heather Turner. Having captain Witham's original Ladies team over 30 years ago, she stepped out for another go at the game. Not only did she not look out of place, she picked up Forward of the match.
Get well soon Leanne